Learning & Teaching 

TEACHING & LEARNING - Vira Pirrotta

Roar Australia is committed to teaching all children and adults that ‘we all have the right to feel safe at all times’ and ‘we can talk to someone we trust about anything, no matter what it is’.

On Monday, November 18th, students from Foundation to Year 4 will participate in a ROAR Personal Safety session. Please see below for details of the session. 

‘We Are ROARsome’ – Foundation to Grade 4

The Personal Safety Programs are designed to empower children with simple strategies for dealing with an unsafe situation.

In the program, students will discuss: 

• Recognise safe and unsafe feelings

• Understand that we all have the right to feel safe at all times

• Identify and act upon early warning signs

• Know what consent is and why it is important

• Use and identify correct anatomical names for the private parts of their body

• Identify at least five trusted adults they can talk to if they are feeling worried or unsafe

• Know that they can say ‘NO’ to a person, including an adult when they are feeling unsafe

• Persist in telling their trusted adults until they feel safe again

• Understand the difference between safe and unsafe secrets

LITERACY NEWS - Bernadette Parnis

In continuation - writing at home

Authors have a purpose for writing, whether it’s to entertain, persuade, inform or express feelings.  Therefore, firstly, establish with your child their purpose for writing and establish with them who their audience is, that is, who they are writing to or for. 

The following ideas may help establish purposeful writing at home as well as motivate your child to practise writing, hopefully making the process enjoyable for them.

• Encourage your child to engage in various types of writing from a young age. If your child is struggling to start writing, suggest some creative ways to start them off. For example, they may want a new toy, pet, game etc. Suggest they write a short paragraph on why they want it.
• Spend time reading together. Reading for fun can spark your child's imagination. I often include this reminder about the importance of reading! 
• Creating characters can be difficult so suggest they write about people they know, their favourite characters from books, television shows or movies.
• Importantly acknowledge all their efforts and achievements no matter how small to build confidence and keep them motivated. 
• Keep writing sessions short. 
• After reading a book or watching a film together, ask your child to write a review to share what they liked or didn’t like.
• Pick a picture, whether it’s a family photo, a magazine image, or a painting, and ask your child to describe it in detail. They can also use the image as inspiration for a story.
• Choose objects around the house and encourage your child to describe them in the most imaginative way possible. This is a great way to practise using literary devices like alliteration, metaphors, and similes.
• Keeping a diary or journal is a great way to get children writing regularly. It can also be a good way for them to express emotions and reflect on their day.
• They could write an instruction manual to explain how to play a game, bake a cake, or build something with LEGO.
• Choose a new word each week and challenge them to use it in their writing in creative ways.
• Encourage your child to write a poem, song, or play
• Writing a letter to a friend or family member can be both fun and meaningful. You might also consider setting up a pen pal exchange.
• Write together. Have fun writing a story together, take turns writing one paragraph at a time. 
• Let your child take on the role of family writer by helping with tasks like writing shopping lists, reminders, or even emails. Giving them responsibility for these small tasks can make writing feel more purposeful.

Remember, writing should be fun! Keep the experience lighthearted and enjoyable, to let creativity flow.

And, this is exactly what our Year 1/2 teachers did this week. As you may be aware Year 1/2s have stick insects in their space. Vania, Vicky, Vania and Marissa (student teacher) very cleverly crafted classrooms to provide the students with a genuine purpose to write a persuasive text. On Wednesday afternoon they taped up access to all books in the learning spaces including take home readers. 

On Thursday morning as the Year 1/2 students entered their classrooms you can imagine the sound that greeted us! The students were buzzing. Some were curious, others annoyed, a few excited and then there were those that were worried. 

The students were left wondering what was going until the teachers read to them a letter that was supposedly written by the stick insects advising them that they needed to persuade why they should be given the books back. 

Nice work, Vania, Vicky, Vivian and Marissa!

Bernadette Parnis

Literacy Leader 

bparnis@sfmoreland.catholic.edu.au

LAST BOOK CLUB FOR 2024

Issue 8 Book Club has arrived! Look out for your copy of Book Club coming home in your child's school bag! It's packed with hundreds of books from just $3 to help you on your child's reading journey. Orders are due Wednesday, November 20, to allow for delivery before the end of term.  

SPORT & PE NEWS - Michael Jennings

ST FIDELIS SPORTS/ATHLETICS DAY

The St Fidelis Annual Sports Carnival for students from Foundation—Year 6 will be held on Friday, November 22, 2024, at Coburg Athletics Track, Outlook Road, Coburg, commencing at 10 am and concluding at 2 pm.

ALL STUDENTS NEED TO WEAR SPORTS UNIFORM

HATS ARE COMPULSORY

PARENTS & FAMILIES ARE MOST WELCOME TO ATTEND TO SUPPORT THE STUDENTS AND THEIR TEAMS

Students will need to bring morning tea, lunch, snacks & drink bottles filled with water to the venue. All items can be brought in a small labelled backpack.

If possible, the students can wear coloured socks, or coloured ribbon in their hair, on their hats or on their t-shirts to distinguish the teams apart.

It is advisable that students wear sunscreen. Sunscreen can be in the colours of the teams. Please note that in the event of extreme weather conditions, the Sports Carnival will be cancelled.

Students will travel by chartered bus to and from the venue, accompanied by the teachers in charge. The bus will depart the school at 9.15am and return to the school at 2.45pm. Parents/carers will not be able to transport their own child to or from the event.

Michael Jennings

Sports/Athletics Day Coordinator

STEM NEWS - Joe Frazzetto

Foundation LEGO Masters Challenge! 

Our Foundation students recently participated in an exciting LEGO Masters Challenge! The students worked collaboratively, sharing ideas on how to construct the tallest tower using LEGO bricks. It was wonderful to see these young minds thinking like scientists, engineers, and mathematicians as they tackled the challenge. 

 The activity began with each group building their LEGO tower, followed by measuring the height of each structure. Most towers stood tall and sturdy, but the question arose: “How can we build an even taller tower?”  To inspire new ideas, we examined images of famous towers worldwide. We observed that many of these towers have a wide base and become narrower as they rise. One student pointed out, “It’s like a triangle!” sparking a discussion on the structure of pyramids. With this new understanding, the students had a second attempt—and what an improvement it was! Each group’s progress was recorded on a column graph, giving the students a clear view of their success.

Congratulations to Sienna, Mikayla, and Arsema from FLW for achieving the tallest tower at 71 cm and earning the title of 2024 LEGO Masters Champions!